The Diaries of the Witches
by KelsErin
Summary: The tales of Lilly Evans and her three closest friends as they strugge their way through their Fiffth, Sixth, and Seventh years at Hogwarts, as well as finding love and friendship in the most unexpected places.
1. Chapter 1: The Diary

Chapter 1- The Diary  
  
Moody, Lupin, Ron, and all of the others had stayed true to their word. Harry received at least five letters from numerous people everyday to check up on him and see that everything was all right. It was nice to know that he was being thought about, but sometimes Harry wished the letters would stop coming so he could be alone for a while. Mrs. Wesley had tried to swoop Harry off to the Burrow, but Dumbledore insisted that Harry stay at the Dursley's, at least for most of the summer.  
  
The Dursley's had been surprisingly easy on Harry since he had arrived home just a few weeks before. Dudley had actually begun to lose some of the rolls of fat from his body, so Aunt Petunia had quickly celebrated with a huge feast. Fortunately for Dudley, the weight had continued to come off, instead of all going back on considering the amount of food he had eaten that day. Uncle Vernon still displayed quite a sour look every time Harry entered the room, but Aunt Petunia seemed to have transformed into someone Harry had never met before. The thought had crossed his mind more than once that maybe his mother had acted somewhat in the manner that Aunt Petunia had since the start of the summer. Harry had never thought to describe Aunt Petunia as loving towards him before.  
  
Despite Aunt Petunia's odd new kindness, Dudley and his gang still favored Harry for a good punching bag, though not as often as before, so Harry had stayed inside most of the last two weeks, enjoying the sounds of the new radio Aunt Petunia had installed in his room. Harry was listening to a Muggle News station looking out his open window towards the horizon when a soft knock came at the door.  
  
"Yes?" Harry said not turning from the window.  
  
The door cracked open and Aunt Petunia stuck her head in. "Harry..." she said and stopped. "Well, I found this. Its for you." And without another word she closed the door. Harry could hear her footsteps hurrying down the stairs. Turning around Harry was faced with a very old box sitting on his floor next to the door. Words written in very neat handwriting that Harry did not recognize read along the side of the box, "Lily's Room".  
  
Harry stared at the box in shock. Lily, Lily as in his mother Lily? Carefully moving away from the window Harry knelt down next to the box. He reached out a hand to brush some of the dust from the top and found that it was not taped shut. Almost afraid, Harry pulled open the flaps and looked down into the opening. Staring back at him was a picture of his mother and father standing outside of Hogwarts on a beautiful summer day. Smiling, they waved up at him. In the background he could see Sirius making a face at the camera. He waved too.  
  
Quickly setting the picture aside next to him Harry began to hastily pull everything out of the box. Pictures upon pictures came out, and Harry put them aside quickly, not able to bear the sight of Sirius' face. One picture caught his eye. In it stood four couples, waving energetically. One of which was his parents. The other three he did not at first recognize. Sirius he did, but the girl giggling at his side Harry did not know. Next to Sirius was Lupin and another mysterious girl. Lastly, Peter Pettigrew and a pretty young girl who was wearing a Hufflepuff scarf. Harry was shocked. Sirius had a girlfriend? Lupin? Peter? Harry shook his head, trying to imagine Sirius kissing anyone. Harry laughed, his first real laugh since he had arrived at the Dursley's.  
  
At the bottom of the box was one last thing. It looked like a book of some sort, but when Harry pulled it out he realized it was a diary. His mother's diary. Cautiously Harry tipped open the cover and on the front page in the same handwriting that had been on the box read "Lily Evans- Any who reads these pages is asking for trouble". Harry turned the page but found the next one blank, and the next, and the next. The whole diary was blank. An image of Tom Riddle's diary filled Harry's mind and he looked down at the diary questionably. "Maybe she just never wrote in it," he thought. "Then why the warning?"  
  
Taking out a quill from his open trunk, Harry cautiously let a drop of ink spill onto the page. It disappeared. Then words began frantically emerging across the page, spilling out in different colors of ink and in very different and distinct handwitings; the writing filled up every space on the page Harry had open.  
  
Anne- Uh-oh! Someone didn't read the warning!!  
  
Lily- Must be asking for trouble then.  
  
Cassie- Too bad for him, or her. Probably a guy though. Am I right?  
  
Harry wasn't sure if he was supposed to answer or not.  
  
Cassie- Hello!! Are you blind? Or do you not have a name...  
  
Harry scoffed. Picking up the quill he wrote.  
  
Harry- I have a name. It's Harry. And you would be...?  
  
Lily- Oh, that's a nice name. What do you want?  
  
Anne- Oh, Lil, leave him alone. We haven't had anyone to talk to in  
ages!  
  
Sess- 'Ello girls! What's going on?  
  
Cassie- Just torturing an innocent young boy...  
  
Harry- I'm not innocent and I'm not young!  
  
Harry was growing rather frustrated; afraid to lose his temper.  
  
Cassie- Well then how old are you?  
  
Harry- I'm fifteen, sixteen in a month. You still haven't told me  
who you are, although I'm guessing one of you is Lily Evans.  
  
Lily- Oh darn. The boy can read. I'm Lily.  
  
Sess- Sess  
  
Anne- Anne  
  
Cassie- And the best for last, Cass... now what is it that you want?  
  
Harry- I... found this box of stuff at a friend's house in their  
attic. I guess the stuff belonged to his mother's sister.  
  
No writing filled the page for some time.  
  
Sess- Are you a Muggle?  
  
Lily- How do you know my sister?  
  
Cassie- What's you last name?  
  
The writing came all at once.  
  
Harry- No, I am not a Muggle. I will be a sixth year at Hogwarts. I  
know Petunia as I said before, and why do you want to know my last  
name?  
  
Cassie- Because you remind me of someone... two people actually.  
  
Harry- Potter  
  
Sess- Lil, Lily its ok- Lil...  
  
Lily- Potter, was your father James Potter?  
  
Harry- And my mother was Lily Evans...  
  
Harry wasn't sure what to do next. No writing came on the page for a few minutes. Then one last thing emerged on the now blank page in Cass's handwriting.  
  
Cassie- When you return to Hogwarts we will tell you our story... 


	2. Chapter 2: Summer School

Chapter 2

The diary lay on Harry's desk for days, gnawing at the back of his mind. He had talked with his mother, his mother! Harry had been ecstatic for the first few moments, before any other thought could fill his head. Why had she been upset? What did Cass mean their story? And which two people did he remind her of? His father perhaps, but who else? And were they the girls in the picture, with his parents, Sirius, Lupin, and Peter?

Harry was however, nicely distracted from the diary by the arrival of a letter from Hogwarts informing him that he was to attend "Summer School" due to a low score on his O.W.L.S in Potions. Harry was furious. Snape had no right to fail him in Potions! For a few days Harry stormed about the house fuming until Uncle Vernon finally asked him what the matter was. When Harry informed Uncle Vernon rather vehemently that he was to attend summer school, Uncle Vernon couldn't have been more pleased.

"Petunia!" he called gleefully once Harry had finished.

"Yes dear?" Petunia answered, coming into the living room.

"The boy is to go to Summer School. We're getting rid of him for the summer!"

"Summer School?" Petunia asked questionably. "For what? Oh never mind I don't want to know. When do you need to be there? I suppose we must take you, after all we are watching you..."

"Tomorrow," Harry replied sullenly. "I'm to meet at King Cross Station for the eleven o'clock train."

"Very good!" Uncle Vernon said. "We'll take you down nice and early tomorrow morning so you won't miss the train!" The sickly sweet smile on his face was almost too much for Harry; he felt sick.

Harry didn't sleep at all that night. He lay awake glaring at the ceiling, hoping maybe it would catch on fire if he tried hard enough. Summer school? With Snape? What a better way to spend the break. Harry had conveniently forgoten that Snape could not possibly be teaching Summer School since he was on assignment from Dumbledore.

Uncle Vernon was pounding on Harry's door bright and early. The sun hadn't even come up yet as Harry called that he would be down in a few minutes. The letter had said that Harry would be staying for the remainder of the summer, with only one day set aside to travel to Diagon Alley to purchase new school supplies. So, instead of sleeping Harry had packed all of his belongings into his trunk. Hedwig was out taking a letter to Ron, so he left some food for her and another letter to take to Ron, who would be able to send her to Hogwarts.

The car trip to King Cross Station was uneventful, although Harry thought he might jump out the window a few times. Some broken bones would be better than summer school. It was only eight o'clock when uncle Vernon dumped Harry in front of the station and told him to have fun at school. The station was pretty full for that time of the morning, and Harry tried to stay in crowded areas. Voldemort was still out there somewhere, and he did not want to be seen.

As eleven rolled around, Harry began to see a few odd looking families coming through the crowd here and there, obviously wizard families, so he strode off for Platform Nine and three-quarters. Passing through the barrier, Harry was surprised to see how many fifth years were waiting to go to Summer School. At least fifty were standing around the station waiting for the Hogwarts Express.

Running footsteps coming up behind him turned every one of Harry's nerves on and he quickly reached for his wand as he turned around, to be tackled by Ron.

"Harry!" Ron cried." I was hoping you failed something too!"

Harry was too happy to see Ron to say anything in return.

Just then a very shortened version of the Hogwarts Express pulled up at the Station. Ron smiled and ran back to grab his trolley from where he had left it. Pulling it quickly towards the last compartment on the train, Ron motioned for Harry to follow.

Once they loaded everything onto the train, Harry and Ron slumped down opposite each other in the last compartment.

"Long time no see," Ron said. "How has it been going? Your letters don't really say much."

Harry shrugged. Ron acknowledged that Harry wasn't in the mood to talk and turned to look out the window. As the Hogwarts Express steamed away from the station Harry wondered what was in store for them at the Castle.

Finally after a few chocolate frogs and pumpkin cakes Harry decided to pull the diary out of his bag and show Ron.

"Another talking book?" Ron asked skeptically when Harry showed him how the writing on the pages worked.

"Its not bad, it was my moms," Harry said in defense of the open diary that lay in his hands.

Before Ron could mutter another word the whistle blew to announce that they had arrived at Hogwarts.

"That was fast," Harry said as he quickly pulled on his robes and stuffed the diary back into his bag. It would have to wait for later.


	3. Chapter 3: Jade and Ryan

With a billow of smoke the train pulled up to the platform and the students filed out. Harry looked about for the looming figure of Hagrid, but instead of Hagrid's smiling face, a tall, thin, severe looking blonde witch approached the students. Without a word she motioned to the boats and led them up to the castle.  
The great doors of Hogwarts opened and the students were ushered into the great hall. Instead of the usual long tables, there was a single elliptical table in the exact center of the hall. Harry and Ron hurried to grab seats together before Harry peered up at the head table, searching for Snape's sullen form. But to his astonishment, in Snape's chair sat a young, friendly-looking witch with brown ringlets. She was in deep conversation with Professor Flitwick; her eyes glowed as she giggled at the professor's "drole" wit. Harry nudged Ron. "Who's that?" he asked, motioning to the witch with his chin.  
"Oi, must be Snape's replacement. She doesn't look too bad."  
"Snape's replacement?"  
"Yeah, he can't very well show up now can he? He's on that mission."  
Realization dawned on Harry. Suddenly, the prospect of summer school looked a little less dreary. "Maybe they found someone good for defense against the dark arts."  
The doors opened and the blonde witch from the platform walked in. "Then again, maybe not." Harry gave Ron a sympathetic pat on the back as the watched the witch march up to the head table, give Prof. Sprout a firm handshake, and then sit on the other side of Snape's replacement. The room quieted down as Dumbledore rose from his seat.  
"Hello five and a half years!" His eyes twinkled, "it looks like we have some wonderful failures in our midst!" a nervous laugh trickled through the room. "Now, now, just relax. Hogwarts has always prided itself on being a school, not an 'educational facility'. At this summer school session you will be expected to work hard, and learn all you can, but that does not mean we will not be having fun. This is your summer school after all, and those of you who were willing to show up..." Harry looked around the table. There were suspiciously few Slytherins to be found. After all, Malfoy must have failed something. "...will find that our Hogwart's staff has prepared many exciting activities for you. There will be intramural Quidditch for anyone wanting to try their hand at the game, book groups in the Library, two trips to Hogsmead, and even a small ball at the end of the session." A cheer went up at the student table. "So, let's pay attention, take risks, and learn all we can! Welcome to Hogwart's summer school!" He lifted his glass at the cheers and was about to sit down when the blond witch reached over and tugged lightly at Dumbledore's sleeve. "Oh dear yes." He said, smiling at the two unknown professor's. "This summer, we have a substitute potions teacher as Snape is on a.... vacation. Student's please welcome Professor Jade." Harry clapped enthusiastically with the other students as the Professor smiled sweetly and gave a little wave. "And for defense against the dark arts we have Professor Ryan." The witch stood and inclined her head a bit. There was a splattering of applause. "Prof. Ryan has also been kind enough to volunteer to work k with the intramural Quidditch." The students looked around nervously as they clapped. Harry leaned over to Ron.  
"I doubt that woman's ever been on a broomstick in her life."  
"Yeah, but she looks like she's got one stuck up her.."  
"I'm sure you students will make these teachers feel right at home, and in turn, they have much to teach you." Dumbledore smiled and winked at Harry. "Yes much." So let's have a great summer and a great feast!"  
Hamburgers and hotdogs appeared in the table, with all the fixings. There was watermelon and berries and some amazing looking pies. Ron dug in, but Harry kept his eyes on Dumbledore, wondering what his mysterious hinting meant this time. 


End file.
